2 weeks ago
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The recently confirmed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has pledged to behaviour a broad audit of the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal to place and resoluteness the method glitches that undermined nationalist assurance during the 2023 wide elections.
Speaking during his screening earlier the Senate connected Thursday, Amupitan said the reappraisal would assistance reconstruct credibility to the country’s electoral process and fortify the deployment of predetermination exertion up of aboriginal polls.
He noted that the IReV and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) were introduced to heighten transparency and integrity successful elections, successful enactment with planetary champion practices.
“I judge what happened successful 2023 was subsumed arsenic a glitch,” Amupitan said. “Before the election, my understanding, based connected a reappraisal of Supreme Court decisions, was that determination was nary clarity arsenic to the intent of IReV.”
He explained that the Supreme Court aboriginal clarified that the IReV portal was not designed arsenic an physics collation strategy but arsenic a verification instrumentality to guarantee consistency betwixt manually collated results and those transmitted electronically.
“The IReV was expected to beryllium a safeguard for examination due to the fact that the laws made by this distinguished Senate did not bash distant with manual collation. However, IReV was expected to supply immoderate warrant for checks and balances,” helium added.
Amupitan said his medication would audit the IReV strategy to find the basal causes of the glitches experienced successful 2023 and measure whether the existing exertion is susceptible of gathering Nigeria’s electoral needs.
“I person to audit the system, if I’m fixed the opportunity, to spot what is really incorrect and whether we person what it takes arsenic it is now,” helium said. “Because it is not conscionable the INEC responsibility, but besides that of different agencies similar NCC, NIMC, and work providers who indispensable enactment unneurotic to present exertion that Nigerians tin trust.”
He besides noted that delayed merchandise of predetermination funds had contributed to organization challenges faced by INEC successful past exercises, contempt existing authorities mandating aboriginal disbursement of resources.
“Although it has been legislated that funds should beryllium released a twelvemonth earlier elections, this often does not hap successful time, leaving the instauration financially constrained,” helium said.
Amupitan further assured lawmakers that helium would undertake a broader audit of INEC’s operations and law model to place and code factors limiting the commission’s independency and efficiency.
“We volition look astatine the tone and missive of the Constitution, arsenic good arsenic the laws made by the National Assembly,” helium said. “We volition usage our cognition to guarantee that INEC is independent. And we volition person an audit to spot what those limiting factors are and woody with them accordingly.”
He pledged to uphold the autonomy of the committee and enactment intimately with the National Assembly to fortify electoral reforms that would warrant free, fair, and credible elections.
Prof. Amupitan replaces Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who stepped down arsenic INEC Chairman connected October 7, 2025.
The station I’ll audit IReV to place glitches that undermined 2023 elections — Amupitan appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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